Heartbroken families of the people onboard the missing Titanic submersible have been left devastated as the vessel is running out of oxygen.
The submersible disappeared in the North Atlantic while it was on its way to explore the Titanic wreckage site.
It is estimated by the US Coast Guard that the sub called Titan was likely to run out of oxygen supply at around 7am ET Thursday but the estimates could still vary by a few hours or so.
Joyce Murray, Canada’s minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, said: “We have to retain hope as part of what we are doing as a human community to find the explorers and bring them to safety.”
On Wednesday, rescuers reportedly expanded their search to about 2.5 miles deep and twice the size of Connecticut.
Speaking to USA Today, Nikolas Xiros – professor of naval architecture and marine engineering at the University of New Orleans – said that the vessel has likely lost power, adding that the temperatures at the depth could be above freezing.
“If a lack of oxygen doesn’t get them, what’s gig to get them is going to be hypothermia,” Xiros said.
Titan, owned by OceanGate Expeditions, reportedly had a 96-hour oxygen supply when it started its journey on Sunday.
Experts believe that the five passengers onboard may be facing dangerous conditions that worsen every passing hour.
They also said that even if no survivors are found after oxygen ran out, retrieving the submersible will be challenging.
Lawrence Brennan, a retired Navy captain and a professor at Fordham University’s School of Law, said if Titan is at the bottom like the Titanic, there is no equipment to recover it.
In an interview with CNN, Ret. Navy Capt. David Marquet – a former submarine captain – said the passengers are ‘freezing cold.’
“The water entirely surrounding the ship is at freezing or slightly below. When they exhale, their breath condenses. There’s frost on the inside of the parts of the submarine. They’re all huddled together trying to conserve their body heat. They’re running low on oxygen and they’re exhaling carbon dioxide.”
The five people onboard are founder and CEO of OceanGate Stockton Rush, French maritime explorer Paul-Henry Nargeolet, British billionaire Hamish Harding, Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman.
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